


[COMPLETE] Magic Beneath the Mistletoe

by MeltyMetroid



Category: ARMS (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Secret Santa!, witchy au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28198374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyMetroid/pseuds/MeltyMetroid
Summary: In an Alternate Universe that brings magic to the ARMS world, Ninjara tries a sketchy spell for a Christmas kiss that goes surprisingly wrong...This fic was written for Starlight, as my gift to her in a Secret Santa exchange we’ve both been a part of!
Relationships: Ninjara/Spring Man (ARMS)
Kudos: 8





	1. Easy Mornings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight/gifts).



> This fic is quite different from my other ones and is totally standalone and unrelated to them! Character personalities etc. are likely to be pretty different, as I tried to match them better to Starlight's headcanons!
> 
> I wrote this going based on what I could find of Starlight’s ‘Witchy AU’, including four chapters she wrote of her own story and various posts she made on various ARMS fan Discord servers. I had to interpret a lot so I hope it meshes well enough with the AU she had in mind!

Mornings are rarely easy. While a tiny fraction of the population may get some strange kick out of waking up in the early hours of the day, Ninjara would wager that  _ most _ people aren’t happy leaving their nice warm beds before noon.  _ He certainly wasn’t!  _ And there really wasn’t an early enough bedtime to help change that.

But college students were known for their lackluster waking abilities, of course. It didn’t matter if it were a magical college or a ninja college or just a standard college - something about being in academia  _ wounded _ your ability to find a full rest before the sun rose. That was a fact! If anyone wanted to dispute that, they were perfectly welcome to come argue with him... Some time later in the afternoon, at least.

It was about 10am now. He was pretty sure, at least. It could be hard to count the chimes of the school’s clocktower bell when half asleep and all, but thankfully he had an extra little failsafe to make sure he got up on time:

_ -Thwack!- _

...Right on cue.

Ninjara slowly sat up in bed, carefully picking Casper’s ghostly white figure off his chest as he did so. Casper, the darling  _ phantom cat _ that had chosen him as an owner, had truly been a faithful companion throughout his time at the Witch Academy. Even ignoring the company he’d provided so lovingly, Ninjara was sure he’d have missed a great number of classes if it weren’t for Casper’s assistance. The clocktower’s chimes may have often fallen deaf on his own ears, but Casper seemed to perk up instantly whenever they’d ring out. And if a class were due soon and Ninjara was still sound asleep... Well, Casper would never fail to step in with a friendly  _ paw to the face _ to, uh, ‘gently’ pat him awake.

...Casper swat his face again.

_ “H-Hey, cut it out!” _ Ninjara moaned, still half asleep. “I’m up alreadyyyy...” He gave a slow stretch and reached for his glasses.

It’d be another hour until class started, so he could take his time to get up today. There was a slight meaty smell in the air, which likely meant Spring Man was whipping up some breakfast - thoughtfully timed just for when Ninjara would be ready, funnily enough. You really can’t buy that kind of caring... ♡

Finally getting to his feet, Ninjara took a look out the nearby window. His bedroom was rather high up in the dormitories, giving him an excellent view of the school and the surrounding- _Wow!_ _It was snowing!_

He stood and watched, feeling a sort of peace within him at the sight of the falling snow. So delicate...  _ So elegant. _ He had seen so much magic during his time at the academy, and yet it was a simple thing like this -  _ natural  _ snow - that made him feel the most ‘whimsy’. There really wasn’t anything like it. The way it fluttered down like tiny feathers falling through the air... Or the way it gently coated the rooftops and pathways down below. When students would walk to and from the buildings they’d leave behind small footprints, and then those footprints would slowly be lost as more snow fell and-

...He focused his eyes from the view behind the window to the window itself. Something  _ odd _ had appeared. A small patch of foggy condensation... As though someone had breathed against the glass, but from the other side from where he stood. The side where  _ no one _ currently stood...  _ At least partially because they were several stories high into the sky. _

He stared for a moment, confounded by it, and then - just as he was about to shrug and turn away...

_ H E Y. _

...Writing had appeared on the window. As if someone had run their finger through it... But, again, from the other side of the glass. Where no one stood and where an unsurvivable drop lay beneath.

Ninjara watched intently, not sure what was happening. Was this some sort of prank...? Or was he still half asleep and his brain hadn’t quite stopped dreaming yet?

...The writing faded, but the small patch of window fog did not. New writing suddenly began being carved out in the condensation-

C O M E T O M Y

B E D R O O M

A F T E R C L A S S.

_ H-Huh? _ Just what the hell did  _ that _ mean?

Ninjara had been at the academy a good few months now. He was still rather rusty with magic, he would admit, but he’d seen enough at this point to know magic when it wrote right onto his window.  _ This was some sort of spell... _

...But who cast it? A-And why did he need to meet with this mysterious stranger? Was this some sort of prank or was there a more important reason to meet so soon??

The fog disappeared, and he was left with a clear view of the snow again.  _ Thanks... _ What was he supposed to do now? And how was he supposed to know which bedroom to go and barge in on?!  _ Talk about unhelpful! _

...The thought crossed his mind that Spring Man might have had something to do with this. There wasn’t anything in particular to point to such a thing, but... Well, Spring Man was  _ odd. _ He had a rather strange way of interacting with people. He could be so soft and loving one moment and then harsh and tantrum-y the next! Hell, Ninjara could quite  _ clearly _ remember how ‘Jake’ had been when they had first met:  _ red with anger _ and intensely unwelcoming. Everything a roommate shouldn’t have been...  _ And yet... _

...He hung his head. The way Spring Man had made him feel early on was  _ strange. _ Strange to go through and strange to remember. It should have been like crashing into a brick wall:  _ he should have hated him. _ I mean, who treats someone like that, right? Especially someone new to the school... But for some reason he still found a way to fall for him. A way to see the person past all that bad stuff. And with each passing day, as Spring Man lightened up more and more, and that  _ hostility _ began to fade away... He just found himself loving him more and more.

Ninjara snapped out of his daydream suddenly as the fog on the window came back and writing once again began to form.

B Y T H E W A Y

T H I S I S M I N M I N   
I A L M O S T F O R G O T  
  
T O T E L L Y O U H A H A

...He sighed.

He felt a slight disappointment at this reveal. Sure, it was unlikely to be Spring Man anyway - and he knew that, of course - but the idea that Spring could have had something to tell him, but only felt comfortable enough to ask him over through a fancy window spell... It just seemed sort of sweet, in a way.

_ Ah well. _ As the window cleared once more he decided it was time to get a move on, before Casper began scratching at his leg or something.

He took a quick shower, slipped some clothes on, and placed on his head the famed wide-brimmed witch hat all students here wore. Nothing too fancy, on the whole. He did always prefer comfort over fashion, after all. And then, fresh and ready for breakfast, he stepped out into the living room at met with his beloved roommate.

_ “Hey Jari!” _ Spring waved from by the kitchen stove, a cheery smile on his face. “Hungry?”

“Definitely!” He smiled back, taking a seat at the nearby table. It was nice to see Spring Man in a good mood.  _ Less burnt meals, that way... _

“I’ll whip you up a plate, give me a sec...” Spring hummed, rolling over some sausages in his pan. “You seen outside? It’s snowing!”

“I saw!” He briefly considered mentioning the message from Min Min that had startled him, but decided it wasn’t worth bringing up. Not until he knew what it was actually about, at least. “How was class?”

“Fine, I guess.” He shrugged. “ _ You know Professor Misango. _ He basically lets you sleep through the whole lesson!” He laughed to himself. “Which suits me just fine.”

_ Ah. _ Spring’s better mood this morning made sense - he started Wednesdays with Misango’s  _ ‘Understanding Your Inner Magic’  _ classes. They were basically hour long lessons on meditation and were known to be remarkably relaxing. Just the thing Spring needed to put him in good spirits!

“You’re not gonna be late for your own classes, are ya?” Spring questioned, setting down a plate before Ninjara.

He checked his watch. “I’ll be alright, but I’ll head out soon.” He began digging into his breakfast while he still had the time. Spring Man may be a bit of a hothead at times, but he was a  _ damn _ good cook! ...At least when he wasn’t putting a little too much  _ ‘fire’ _ into the phrase  _ ‘fire up the grill’ _ .

He had cleaned his plate before too long and, with a quick spell to pull his necessary books toward him, he knew he was ready to head out.

He gave a small pat to Casper, who mew’d sweetly back at him, and then made way for the door. “ _ Oh! _ I gotta go somewhere after class, so I’ll be a little late getting back.”

“Alright.” Spring Man shrugged, not thinking much of it. “Don’t forget what this weekend is, by the way!”

He smiled warmly. “I won’t forget. I promise!”

Saturday was, of course... Christmas day. The very first Christmas he’d be spending at the academy. And the first he’d be spending with  _ him. _


	2. The Trade

Ninjara took a brief walk outside as he made his way from the dormitory building to the lecture hall his class would be in at the next building over. It was a real joy to pass through the snow, what with all the icy cold flakes fluttering through the air and the slight chill brushing past his skin...

...But said class was, sadly,  _ ‘Magical History’. _ A class he once found intensely fascinating but soon discovered got old  _ quick. _ There were only so many times you could hear a story of an old loser using a fire spell to light candles to read with before electricity was invented! It had gotten so  _ dull. _

And not helping things was his teacher for the class:  _ Professor M. Mummy. _ A rather nice man by all accounts, but one who could put any insomniac to sleep with just a few words. The man was  _ boring _ and talked  _ slowly _ and in a way that just-

Ninjara yawned, despite not even reaching his class yet. Would he end up falling asleep in class again?! He didn’t like doing so - and thankfully didn’t do so  _ often _ \- but it  _ had _ happened before, and each time had been in Magical History. Which wasn’t so bad, he figured. At least compared to Spring Man, who slept through pretty much  _ all _ his classes save for, understandably,  _ ‘Applied Magic’. _

He gave a polite nod to the professor as he took his seat and began trying to convince himself that he would  _ not _ fall asleep in this lesson. He would  _ not! _ Professor Mummy didn’t really mind students sleeping in his class - he figured young minds needed the rest, as he said - but Ninjara couldn’t shake that it was just so...  _ Disrespectful _ to a man who spent his time sharing his knowledge with the world.

“You look tired.” Came a voice from one seat over, where a recognisable young girl sat. “Do you want me to cast a sleep spell on you?”

“Huh?” He blinked. “No...  _ No! _ ” He shook his head. “I-I don’t need to  _ sleep _ , I need to stay  _ awake! _ ”

“Well waking spells are more likely to have negative effects on your health...” Ribbon Girl smartly warned. “Our bodies  _ need _ sleep, you know.”

“I-I got sleep last night!” He assured. “I’m just a little drowsy from having a hot meal on a cold day.  _ You know how it is! _ ”

“Ah?” She smiled. “So he didn’t burn it this time?”

_ How’d she figure Spring’s involvement in this so easily?! _ He wondered to himself. It wouldn’t have been out of the question for him to have made  _ himself _ some breakfast after all, right? And he could have gone to the cafeteria for breakfast, actually!

Ribbon Girl neatly straightened her wand on her desk’s surface. “You know, Christmas is coming up...” She shrugged lightly.  _ “Are you going to get him anything?” _

Ninjara blushed a little. He took this as a tease - she hadn’t asked about a gift for herself, after all. No, it was something for  _ Spring... _ Just as she had expected him to be ‘thankful’ for Spring at Thanksgiving, and just as she’d likely expect Spring to be on his mind for Valentine’s Day.  _ Was he so easy to read?! _

“Settle down, everyone...!” Professor Mummy began, stepping up slowly from his desk and grabbing a rather large leather-bound book from its surface. “If I may have your attention for the next hour... Today’s lesson will be about a merchant named  _ Oscar Studious. _ Our story begins in eighteen-forty-three when Mr. Studious found he had a problem:  _ he could not read his book of sales during the early nightfalls of the winter...! _ ”

...Ninjara fell asleep.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just as the lesson was about to draw to a close, Ninjara’s hat pulled back quietly and a ghostly white paw came out from beneath it. A small thwack to Ninjara’s forehead was enough to wake him up again, just in time for Professor Mummy to announce the end of class.

“I hope you’ve all learnt a lot today.” He smiled widely. “And I look forward to seeing you next week...  _ Oh! _ And a very Merry Christmas to all of you!” He gave a bright smile and a big thumbs up, truly cementing him as one of the academy’s nicest mentors.

Ninjara got up and gathered his things. Sure, he had ended up sleeping through the whole lesson, but surely his brain had soaked up some of what was said, right?

“Would you like to get some lunch?”

“...Hm?” Ninjara blinked, half awake.

“Some lunch? In the cafeteria?” Ribbon Girl repeated. “Mechanica should end her  _ ‘Magic in the Workplace’ _ lessons shortly so she could meet us there.”

“...Ah!” Ninjara nodded, realizing what she was asking of him. He was still pretty full from his breakfast from Spring Man, but he  _ could _ still eat... But before he had a chance to accept her invitation, he recalled the mysterious message left on his window this morning. “...Ah. Sorry, I’ve got somewhere to be...”

“Oh?” She cocked her head to one side, curious and, admittedly, a little nosy.

“I’ve got to meet Min Min for something. I don’t know what...” He sighed. “Actually, which room is her’s...?”

“Dorm C, Room 43.” She nodded back to him. “Tell her I say hello! ...And on the off chance she’s preparing a Christmas present for me, tell her I don’t want anything that makes a mess  _ please. _ ”

Ninjara could sense a story behind that line, especially with the way she quietly sighed after saying it. But he chose not to push further, and instead said a farewell and made his way to the address she had provided.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dorm C. Room 43.

As he knocked on the door it occurred to him that he hadn’t actually seen within her room before. He and Min Min were mostly just acquaintances - friends from a prior  _ ‘Magical Creatures’ _ class they shared, but nothing a whole  _ lot _ more. She did seem like a pretty cool person, though. It really couldn’t hurt to get to know her better, he figured.

The doorknob clicked as it turned, and the door slowly began to open.  _ “Heyyyy!”  _ The lazy girl smiled from across the room, wand in hand. “Check it out!  _ Unlocking spell. _ ” She skimmed the scroll laid out on her lap. “Only illegal if it’s used on a lock you don’t have the key to already. Weird, right? Seems kinda pointless, but it’s good if you don’t want to have to get up when someone knocks.”

Ninjara wondered why she couldn’t just accomplish the same thing by extending an ARM, but ah well. “Nice to see you again. How have you been?”

She shrugged. “Same as usual, I guess. Just making some lunch.”

Ninjara quietly approached the nearby cauldron brewing by the wall. Was Min Min  _ that _ into potions? And what sort of potion would she be-  _ Ah. _ No, as she had just said, she was indeed making lunch;  _ the cauldron was full of ramen. _

“I’ve got enough for two if you wanna stick around but today’s batch is pretty spicy.”

Their heads each turned as a small tapping noise came from a glass tank in the corner of the room. A rather impatient dragon lay within, staring at Min Min intently.

She struck her wand out in its general direction.  _ “Hocus Croakus.” _ A splatter of light appeared out of the tip of her wand and, miraculously, a live frog appeared out of thin air just above the tank... Which it promptly fell into.

Ninjara watched her dragon roast the poor amphibian before devouring it. He got the feeling that Min Min was rather good at magic. Possibly better than Spring Man.  _ Definitely  _ better than himself, at least.

“Anyways... You got my message on your window, yeah?” Min Min questioned, putting her wand down again.

“I did.” He confirmed.

“Good!” She smiled. “I wasn’t sure if you were Room 56 or Room 57. Almost gave your neighbours a real fright, eh?”

_ You gave  _ **_me_ ** _ a fright. _ He wondered to himself.

“Anyways...  _ I wanted to offer you a trade. _ ” A sly grin appeared on her lips as she pressed her fingertips together. “You scratch my back, I use a spell to magically scratch yours. You get me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of a trade are you suggesting...?”

“ _ Well! _ ” She clapped her hands. “You’ve taken the pre-Christmas exam for  _ Applied Magic _ , right?” 

He nodded, cautious as to where this was going.

“I’ve got mine coming up later today. It was  _ supposed _ to be last week but Kid Cobra mispronounced ‘glow’ as  _ ‘grow’ _ and they had to cancel the lesson to deal with the, uh,  _ consequences. _ ”

So  _ that’s _ what was up with that massive Helix creature last week! It felt good to finally have an answer.

“Anyways, long story short,  _ I’m not prepared. _ Andddd... I don’t want Professor Coyle to turn my head into a balloon and then pop it, you feel me?” She blinked. “...Which is something she might  _ actually _ do, knowing her.”

“You figured I knew the exam answers and you want me to share them with you.” He confirmed, having figured out his side of the trade.

“ _ Bingo! _ ” She grinned. “I would have gone to Ribbon but I was  _ pretty _ sure she’d be against helping me quote-unquote ‘cheat’. And then I would have gone to Spring Man, but I didn’t want to risk him taking it badly and sending a fireball through my wall...”

A small puff of fire burst from Min Min’s dragon’s nostrils, as if it responded to even the mere mention of fire.

“...And then I figured that  _ you _ learnt most of your magic  _ from _ Spring Man, soooo...! _ ” _

“Right, right...” He nodded back. It made enough sense logically. He wasn’t great at  _ performing _ magic, honestly, but he was certainly good at studying and remembering spells. And with proper training from Spring he usually found his way to learning the needed turns and tricks. With a few helpful pointers Min Min could likely get by from just a few written sentences - she was  _ very _ good at casting spells, after all. So...

“Well?” She blinked. “Think you can help me out?”

“...” Ninjara stared at her for a moment.  _ “...You didn’t say what’s in it for me.” _

She pouted. “Is the thought of helping out a dear friend not enough?” Her eyes lit up, as if she’d just remembered something crucial. “ _ It’s Christmas this weekend! _ It could be my Christmas present~”

“You’re worried about Coyle ballooning your head and this one-way ‘trade’ of yours puts us  _ both _ as ricks of that.” He pointed out. “I’m not taking that risk without any gain!”

She sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine, fine...” She sat up a bit, straightening her back. “Alright, well...  _ You have the hots for Spring Man, yeah? _ ”

He froze in place.  _ How did people keep finding out about that?! _

“Well what if I told you I could get you a niiiice big  _ kiss _ from him?~” She smiled with devilish glee.

“You’re not  _ seriously _ suggesting a love spell or love potion or whatever, are you?” He groaned, wondering if this meeting really was as pointless as it seemed. “That stuff is illegal and, like,  _ morally _ wrong-”

She put her hands up defensively. “Nothing illegallll, nothing morally wrongggg. I promise!”

He stared at her. “...Explain further.”

She clapped her hands again. “I found a spell recently that can make  _ mistletoe _ appear out of thin air. And it’s tradition in this school -  _ as well as pretty much elsewhere in this country _ \- that if two people meet under a mistletoe they gotta  _ smooch. _ ” She shrugged. “It’s nothing that changes their mind or pushes them to do something they don’t  _ want _ to do. He can always refuse, if he’s  _ really _ against the idea! Buttttt...” She grinned again. “I feel pretty good on the chances he won’t~”

“...” Ninjara stayed silent for a moment, pondering the idea. It  _ would _ be nice to learn a new spell... It’d impress Spring Man to have learnt one without needing his guidance, too! And it’d be something nice for Christmas, which was soon approaching... Hmm...

“What do you say?” She smiled. “You lend me your Applied Magic notes and I teach you of a festive smooch-inducing spell. Not a bad trade, right?”

“...” After a moment’s more thinking, Ninjara blushed slightly and gave in. “...Alright, deal.”

Min Min giggled. “ _ Fantastic!~ _ ” She hopped to her feet suddenly and held her hands out excitedly.

Ninjara sighed and cast a quick spell to pull his notebook from his bag. “I want it back  _ right _ after the exam, got it?” He levitated it into her needy hands and she took it happily.

“Sounds goooooood, sounds goooooood.....” She began to flick through it rapidly. “I’ll try and reach as much as I can during lunch...” She stopped him quickly before he could protest. “I  _ won’t _ get any ramen dripped on it,  _ relax. _ ”

He sighed again. “...So are you going to teach me that spell?”

“Hm?” She blinked. “...Ah! Yeah, well, it’s called  _ ‘Spell of the Hanging Holly’ _ and you can find it in the  _ Intermediate Incantations _ book at the library. Page 300-something, I think.”

He looked at her, puzzled. “Huh? I thought you were going to  _ teach _ me it,  _ not teach me where to find it!” _

She shrugged. “I’ve got an exam to study for! I told you I’d teach you  _ of _ a spell, dummy.”

He glared at her for the subtle misdirection.

“Gotta learn these spells all on your own sometimes, right?  _ You’ll be fineeee.  _ What’s the worst that could happen?”

The worst that could happen, he figured, would be somehow botching the spell to the point it turned his toes into short-range rocket propelled bombs, actually.  _ But whatever... _

With another sigh or two, he wished Min Min all the best - reminded her once again to return his book once done with it - and then he headed back home for the afternoon.

...But  _ maybe _ he’d stop at the library real quick, actually.


	3. Spell Casting

Evening came. It was nice to get an easy day every now and then, between all the class-heavy mornings and study filled nights. It felt like the teachers were going easier on them as it drew closer to the holiday season, which was nice. Though life as a young magical student seemed to be getting a little easier in general, actually. Maybe he just had to get past all the anxiety of being at a new and unfamiliar school? He hadn’t really grasped ‘magical life’ fully yet, no, but he was feeling more comfortably ‘at home’ lately. So that was nice!

Casper purred as he ruffled his ghostly fur, giving him a sort of blurry  _ smudge _ look.

Christmas was coming up! The thought had made him worried earlier in the year - the idea that he’d have to spend Christmas away from his family and with total strangers...  _ Eek!  _ Too much for his worrying brain to figure out. But that was when he was new to the school, and time had calmed his nerves. Those weren’t strangers anymore! They were friends like Ribbon Girl and Mechanica and-

The dormitory door opened and he swung his head around to greet the one man he knew who’d walk in without knocking. “Hey Spring!” He smiled warmly, feeling good.

Spring Man gave a small smile back at him, but paused just short of greeting him in return as his eyes instead moved to the large display Ninjara was erecting in the corner of the room. “...A Christmas tree?!”

“Yep!” Ninjara nodded, pleased with himself. He looked over the tree with pride. It may not be the  _ grandest _ tree in the world, but it was something he had taken the afternoon to set up himself, and it was doing a  _ fantastic _ job of putting him in a  _ Christmas _ mood. “W-What do you think...?” He asked somewhat shyly, turning from the tree back to Spring. He hadn’t exactly  _ told _ him he was setting this up, but-

“ _ I love it. _ ” Spring returned without hesitation, in words that made Ninjara blush a little. “You did great, man.”

Ninjara looked away, feeling a warm sensation in his chest at his roommates admiration. “Ah, well... It’s nothing like the one downstairs...” The one in the foyer downstairs, erected through advanced magic by several of the academy’s finest teachers, was, as you might imagine, an absolute marvel of Christmas cheer with a healthy  _ splash _ of magical wonder thrown in too. If Ninjara’s were sat beside it, as nice as Ninjara’s display was, it would  _ admittedly _ have been pretty comparable to sitting a garden shed beside the Taj Mahal...

“Can’t you take a compliment?!” Spring scoffed, rolling his eyes. “ _ The tree looks good! _ Quit worrying.”

_ Fair enough, _ he thought! If Spring was happy then, well,  _ he  _ was happy.

“...Of course...” Spring began, looking at the tip of the tree with a sense of scrutiny. “ _ Usually _ there’s a star at the top of the tree or something...”

_ “Ah!” _ He grinned back, having looked forward to this moment. “I wanted to wait until you’d arrived back to put it on...” He picked up a large metal star ornament from beside the tree’s base. Then, in a move that instantly worried Spring Man, he placed it on the nearby table rather than lifting it atop the tree.

Spring interrupted as Ninjara took out his wand. “ _ Woah, _ uh, why can’t you just  _ lift _ it onto the tree with your ARMS?!”

Ninjara pouted. “ _ I’ve been practicing! _ It’ll go fine, I promise.”

Spring Man took a few cautious steps back, hoping he wouldn’t be caught in the spell’s grasp this time.

_ “...Alright.” _ Ninjara exhaled, trying to focus. He pointed his wand toward the star and, after a moment of silence, it began to slowly lift into the air.

The rise was shaky and a few other things around the table seemed to jolt and move in ways they shouldn’t, but his spell  _ was _ working as intended. And Spring Man was rather impressed!

It was going well, but Ninjara suddenly felt more nervous. It was still a long way to the top of the tree... And what if he moved wrong and the tree toppled over?!  _ Or _ maybe he’d accidentally pick the tree up in his spell too, which would ruin the whole display...  _ Or _ -

Spring Man noticed the star getting wobblier, and picked up on some slightly shaking in Ninjara’s hand as it pointed his wand. Eager to avoid any incidents, he quietly took Ninjara’s hand in his and helped to steady it. “You’ve almost got it...”

Having Spring Man cradle him from behind made Ninjara’s heart begin to pound, but his spell  _ did _ steady. With Spring Man’s guidance the star began to rise higher and, after a moment’s travel, slowly landed on the tree with grace.

“Thereeee ya go!” Spring Man grinned. “ _ Star on da tree. _ ” He shrugged. “What more could you ask for?”

Ninjara blushed a little. “Th-Thanks for the help...!”

He waved his hand dismissively. “You did the hard part, dude. Don’t worry about it.”

Ninjara turned back to Casper and gave him another pet as he sat down on the sofa beside him. Casper, as expected, slowly climbed onto his lap for a more comfortable appreciation.

“I can’t wait for classes to be over...” Spring Man casually mumbled as he approached the tree. “Maybe then I can actually get some good sleep!”

“Haha, yeah...” Ninjara agreed loosely, quietly noticing as Spring Man seemed to slip something beneath the tree. He was about to ask what the man was up to, but he didn’t get the chance, as Spring Man continued without interruption.

“Christmas break is never long enough, though. They never let us rest as long as they should!”

“Mm...” He nodded slowly, squinting at the tree’s base as Spring Man moved past it. It looked to be some sort of...  _ Box? _

Spring Man had found himself wandering over to the window after his casual pass-by of the tree. He looked out at the snowfall - which had grown heavier over the course of the day - with a small smile on his face. “Pretty snowy out there. Kinda pretty, right? I wish I didn’t suck at ice spells.”

“Maybe you just have to brush up on them a bit.” Ninjara asked, briefly considering if he should offer to learn  _ with _ him. Though he would probably end up being more of a ball and chain slowing him down rather than an assistance in his learning...

“Nah.” Spring Man shrugged. “Who has time for ice, eh? It’s all about...  _ Fire! _ ” He struck out his hands and emitted bursts of fire from his palms in an impressive show. Casting magic without a wand showed real  _ mastery _ of a particular spell.

_ “Not so close to the tree!!” _ Ninjara eeked, not keen on seeing his work go up in flames... Or the consequences they’d face if the whole academy was evacuated into the snow due to a fire they had started.

“Bah!” Spring Man grumbled, stopping his fires. “You’re just  _ jealous. _ ” He yawned loudly, then took a quick look out the window again. “...I think I’m gonna go for a walk. Clear my head a bit.”

“H-Have a nice time!” Ninjara waved as Spring Man began heading for the door.

“...Oh. _ One more thing... _ ” Spring Man quietly began, his face hidden as he looked to the door ahead and not his roommate behind him. “...Don’t touch the thing under the tree. That’s for Christmas day.  _ Got it?! _ ”

“A-Ah?” He blinked. “...S-Sure, no worries!”

The door clicked as Spring Man left, and all fell silent for a moment, save for the soft purring of Casper on his lap. Ninjara’s mind fell totally empty, not really sure what to think - that beautiful moment he had shared with Spring as he guided his hand to cast the spell... Was he over-thinking it? Was it just a simple helping hand and nothing more? Or was he right to see it as something more ‘special’ than that? Like a warm moment between the two... Something that had brought them  _ together? _

He hopped up quickly a moment later, which startled Casper, causing him to climb atop the sofa’s arm with a perplexed look on his face.

Ninjara knelt down by the Christmas tree and carefully grabbed the box Spring Man had tried to ‘discreetly’ hide there. It was some sort of... _ Present. _ Wrapped up - if a little  _ messily _ \- with shiny blue wrapping paper, and adorned with a simple yellow ribbon. “TO Ninjara,” read the small card sign tethered to the box, “FROM Spring”

...Spring Man had gotten him a present?!

He could feel his heart pounding again.

Judging by the size and the weight of it... Was it some sort of  _ book? _ Had Spring Man actually thought to get him a book for Christmas?? Hell, it was a surprise that Spring Man had known he liked books at all - he was always a sort of, uh,  _ unobservant _ person. At least when it came to him...  _ He thought. _

He looked over the small wrapped present delicately for a second, then quickly put it back again -  _ just in case _ Spring Man would turn up again out of the blue with no warning. He didn’t want to be caught snooping!

Ninjara got up again and approached the sofa once more, ready to sit down and get comfy with Casper. Maybe he’d even take a short nap as the snow fell past the window. That’d be nice, right?

...

...His gaze turned toward the present as the tree’s base again.  _ Was Spring Man really that thoughtful? _ This was so unlike anything between them they had shared before... But it felt so exciting and  _ promising. _

_...Okay. _ With a deep breath, it was time to address the thought at the back of his head. The one that always popped up whenever he and Spring would share a ‘moment’ together, no matter what that moment would be. The thought that he had always done his best to ignore, thinking it was too unlikely to be worth considering. It was time to  _ actually _ consider it. If only for a moment.

He sighed, hoping to clear his mind and keep himself from getting too caught up in his own thoughts. This was going to be a  _ quick _ consideration. He was going to do this  _ reasonably.  _ No getting his hopes up! But also no being overly pessimistic! Okay...?

...

...

...

... _ Was there a chance Spring Man felt the same way he did?! _

Now, of course, a little help guiding a spell and a present under the tree did  _ not _ mean the man had the hots for him.  _ Obviously! _ A-And if it were any other person he  _ really _ wouldn’t have considered the present under the tree as anything more than just a friendly gift _ for _ friends  _ between  _ friends... B-But this was  _ Spring, _ y’know?!  _ This was not the kind of thing he did for his friends! _ This was something  _ new. _ Like an extra step beyond all that. An extra step for someone he must hold  _ dearer _ than just a friend... Right? D-Did that make sense??

...He snapped out of his trance and finally moved from his stop before the sofa. He rushed to his room and withdrew his library book from his bag.  _ Intermediate Incantations. _

Okay, so,  _ yes _ \- he  _ had _ taken the book out of the library, simply for curiosity’s sake. But that doesn’t mean he had taken Min Min’s ‘advice’ so easily:  _ he just thought it’d be an interesting read, y’know? _

He flipped the book open and searched the index for  _ ‘mistletoe’. _

...Of course, learning the spell she had suggested  _ would _ be a fun way to spend the evening. It’s always good to learn, right?

He began flicking through the pages until he could locate the one specified at the back of the book.

...And if he  _ did _ learn the spell correctly and the mistletoe just  _ happened _ to be above he and Spring at the same time... Well, then whatever happens _ happens _ , right?

With the spell located he took his wand out and exhaled deeply.

...What was  _ most likely _ to happen, of course, was... Well,  _ very little. _ Spring would probably just roll his eyes at the thought of the mistletoe tradition, and that’d probably be the end of that story altogether.

Ninjara moved the book to the kitchen counter, figuring the overhanging archway above the kitchen’s entrance was probably the best place to hang it. More of a chance they’d both be in the space spot there.

...Of course, there was always a  _ chance _ Spring Man might find the idea of, uh, ‘ _ honouring _ ’ the tradition... Well,  _ fun. _ That wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, right??

Ninjara pointed his wand at the tip of the archway and took another deep breath. He read the passage in the book one more time, just to be sure he’d read it correctly.

... _ It was worth a shot, right?? _

Then, with as clear a voice as he could muster, he spoke aloud the incantation.  _ “Miss me, miss me, now you gotta...  _ **_K-Kiss me._ ** ”

A splattering of green and red light shot out from his wand...  _ And a small plant began to grow on the archway. _ It bore red berries and prickly green holly, as well as a neat little bow at the top. 

_ It was perfect! _

Ninjara grinned widely, looking back and forth between the holly and his wand. “ _...I-I did it!! _ ” He had never felt so proud of himself. “I-I learnt a spell on  _ my first try! _ A-And all on my own!!”

The quick success would be enough of a story on its own, even if Spring didn’t accept his advances beneath it! What a great turn of events!

His continued marvelling at his accomplishment suddenly cut short as a knock came at the door.  _ Was Spring Man back from his walk already?! _

He quickly hid the book beside the nearby toaster, worried it’d spoil the fun if his roommate were to see it before he could get him beneath the mistletoe first. Things had to be  _ perfect! _

...The knock came again. “J-Just a sec!!” He gulped, a little panicked.  _ He had not prepared for this yet! _ Was his breath alright? He wasn’t too sweaty or anything, right?!

The knocking came a  _ third _ time, but he reached the door just before the three-knock pattery had finished ringing out. His plan to play it  _ cool _ , however, was cut short at the sight of a rather familiar face stood ahead of him -  _ not _ his roommate, but the girl he had visited earlier that day.

He blinked. “...M-Min?”

“Yo.” She nodded casually, before holding up a notebook. “You wanted me to return this?”

He looked at the notebook, then his face - which had been given a look of surprise by her arrival - quickly fell to a look of annoyance. “... _ Yes, _ but I said  _ right after the exam. _ ”

She shrugged. “This is sort of ‘right after’! ...I just took a short nap in between. They say that’s good for your health... Or something.”

He sighed, taking the notebook from her. “Well, I hope it helped.”

She nodded excitedly. “You saved my skin, so thanks!” She paused as her eyes caught the sight of something above them both. “ _...I see my tip helped out! _ But don’t expect anything from  _ me _ just because we’re under it, you’re not really my ty-”

“Huh?!” Ninjara jolted, following her eyes up to the mistletoe that hung on the door frame above them. “W-Wait, I didn’t put that there?!”

The thought briefly crossed his mind that  _ Spring Man _ might have. He  _ had _ been the last to pass by the door, after all. Could he have planned to get Ninjara under there when he came back from his walk?!

_...No... _ As his eyes went from the mistletoe at the door’s frame over to the mistletoe over by the kitchen’s archway, he discovered a small  _ path _ of holly bridging the two. And, as he watched in awe, several more sprouted out from out of nowhere.

_ It was spreading. _


	4. Magical Mayhem

“...I take it you didn’t  _ mean  _ for it to be doing that?” Min Min blinked, a little concerned. “Like... It’s not  _ supposed _ to self-replicate, is it?”

“...H-Huh?!” Ninjara sweat, turning back to her. “W-Well how am  _ I _ supposed to know?!  _ You _ told me about the spell!”

“Well I don’t  _ know _ the spell, remember?!” Min Min returned. “I just know  _ of _ it. Didn’t you read the passage when you cast it?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“The  _ whole _ passage?!”

“ **_Yes._ ** ”

All the mistletoe shook slightly and another bunch sprouted out. It was at least  _ doubling _ each time, and had already gotten to be quite a lot.

“...I-I must have done the spell wrong...” Ninjara gulped. “M-Maybe I said something wrong? O-Or I didn’t hold my wand right??”

“I dunno, dude.” Min Min sighed, watching the mistletoe grow again. “But you gotta stop this stuff  _ quick _ before any of the teachers find out! You  _ know _ it’s against the rules to cast spells in the dorms, right?”

“E-Eh?!” Ninjara glared at her. “ _ You _ told me about this spell!!  _ A-And _ you suggested I use it!”

“I didn’t say  _ in _ the dorms, though!” She threw back quickly, not wanting the blame to be pinned on her. “The school has classrooms that are charmed to  _ contain _ the spells you cast in them  _ specifically _ to avoid stuff getting out of hand like this.”

“Yeah,  _ I know! _ ” He growled, mad at himself for even considering this. To his credit, though,  _ everyone _ cast spells in their dorms.  _ Min Min did! _ And Spring Man was always casting fire spells... Sure, they may each be more skilled than he but was this really so different?!

“Dude you’ve  _ gotta _ do something...” Min Min whimpered as the mistletoe replicated  _ again. _ It had begun to cover the walls and the floor now too -  _ quite an increase, _ and growing larger still.

“O-Okay... Okay...” He gulped. “...A-And what  _ do _ I do?!”

Min Min jumped, remembering something she had briefly overheard at some point. “ _ The book! _ If a book teaches incantations it  _ should _ have a spell to cancel out the ones it teaches you too.”

“R-Right!” Ninjara nodded, ready to dash in and recover the book from beside the toaster. But the mistletoe replicated again just as he was about to head in... And it was  _ really _ beginning to cover the kitchen. “...I-I’m not sure the book is somewhere I can get to it...”

“Where abouts is it...?” Min Min peeked her head inside, assessing the damages. She watched as Ninjara struck his finger out in the direction of the toaster. “... _ Ah. _ Yeah, that, uh...” The entire area was now thick green with spiked holly. “...That’s going to be difficult...”

“... _ Oh! _ ” He gasped, quickly taking his wand out again. He pointed it toward the toaster and cast a levitation spell - it was one of the only spells he could firmly say he  _ knew. _ Maybe not great for everything but it sure worked on  _ books! _

_... _ But not books held back by mistletoe, it seemed. The holly bulged and pulled as the book behind it tried to budge past, but the book could not free itself from its bindings... And then the mistletoe duplicated again. And the book was firmly trapped.

“...Okay...  _ Okay... _ ” He began to panic, worried about the consequences of this spell gone awry.

“I-I think you gotta get a teacher’s help for this, or something...” Min Min regretbally suggested.

_ “N-No!” _ He shuddered. “Are you kidding?! They’d  _ kill _ me...”

“Well what  _ else _ are we going to do?!” Min Min growled, not wanting to end up in more trouble than they already were.

Ninjara took a step back out from the dormitory and closed the door, hoping it’d keep the spread contained. “Let’s go ask  _ Ribbon. _ She might know what to do...”

“Oh  _ brother... _ ” Min Min sighed, not liking where this was inevitably going to go.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“A-And last we saw it it was getting  _ really  _ out of hand...” He gulped, doing his best to give a  _ quick _ yet accurate explanation of the events that had unfolded.

Ribbon Girl stared at him in disbelief, then slowly moved her eyes to Min Min, who stood beside him. “ _ Min. _ ”

She jolted in place.  _ “W-What?!” _

Ribbon Girl grumbled, grabbing her wand and stepping out from her dormitory, closing the door behind her. “You shouldn’t have left him to learn a spell like that on his own!”

“Well-”

“ _ And _ you shouldn’t have encouraged him to try the spell in his own dormitory!”

“I-”

“ _ And- _ ”

“G-Guys...” Ninjara stammered, still remarkably nervous about the situation. “Maybe we should go deal with it before we continue figuring out who’s to blame...?”

Ribbon Girl nodded slowly, before offering one last glare at Min Min.  _ “I’m turning you into a frog later. _ ”

The three of them dashed back toward the building’s stairwell and began to ascend to Ninjara’s floor. They barged into the hallway and down toward-

“... _ Woah. _ ” Ribbon Girl gasped as they each came to a grinding halt at the sight of the mistletoe’s spread - now  _ far _ out of the dormitory’s closed door and halfway down the hallway.

They could hear muffled voices from the closed rooms around the holly. Tones of confusion and slight panic. Spells being cast with slight flashes of light seeping from behind the gaps in the doors. But nothing seemed to stop the duplication, as another wave of green and red burst toward them.

“W-Well, what are you waiting for?!” Min Min grumbled, getting concerned.

_ “...R-Right!” _ Ribbon Girl gulped, pointing her wand. A blast of purple light shot out and seemed to singe a small portion of the mistletoe, causing it to disintegrate into small violet cinders.

“Th-That works!” Ninjara smiled, beyond thankful.

...Then the mistletoe duplicated again, reclaiming the lost area Ribbon Girl had cleared, and  _ far _ beyond.

“...This isn’t gonna be fast enough...” Min Min whimpered, worried, as Ribbon Girl shot off another two purple spells, clearing out small portions of the larger mass.

“J-Just let me concentrate...” She gulped, holding the next spell in for a longer period. Small purple flickers appeared at the end of her wand, before finally shooting out toward the mistletoe, this time clearing the usual small space  _ and _ a secondary wave that spread a little further out. But it was still an incredibly small space compared to the area the mistletoe had claimed.

“...S-Spells are stronger when there’s two of us, right?!” Min Min stumbled, taking her wand out and grabbing Ribbon Girl’s free hand. “T-Tell me what I gotta do!”

“I-I can’t  _ teach _ you the spell while I’m trying to deal with this at the same time!” Ribbon Girl returned, wondering if she might have had a better shot had Mechanica been there to assist instead. Even still, she took Min Min’s hand and tried to direct. “... _ Just follow my movements! _ ”

Purple shots sent out from the both of them, but then another massive wave of mistletoe grow out at an alarming rate, coming to just before their own feet.

Ninjara stumbled back. “G-God this, is  _ bad... _ ”

“ _ I think you should find Professor Coyle! _ ” Ribbon Girl encouraged strongly as she tried to contain the mess. “ **_Quickly._ ** ”

He fell back a few paces and then made a dash for the door to the stairwell again. He fell through it and began hurrying down the stairs... Before the muffled sound of screams stopped him in his tracks.

He turned back and saw the door he had just come from had begun sprouting mistletoe around the gaps between the door and its frame.  _ Just how much had it spread within the hallway...? Were Ribbon Girl and Min Min alright?! _

He couldn’t stick around to try and find out. Instead, he continued down the stairs and dashed out the lower exit, out into the cold of the outside where he had walked through just the morning before.

He made it about halfway from his dormitory building before stopping again, noticing the concerned onlooks of students nearby, who were each frozen in place as the stared up at the building. With some reluctance he turned to look as well...

_ The building was now  _ **_covered_ ** _ in mistletoe. _ It had escaped through some open windows and had begun coating the  _ side _ of the building as well as the inside. And it was starting to crawl its way down, too. It would only be a matter of time until it spread to the other school buildings nearby...

“Good  _ lord. _ ” A shrill voice expressed from nearby. Ninjara turned quickly and his heart sank -  _ Professor Coyle _ was approaching the overgrown dormitory building, with Professor Mummy in tow. “Just what the hell is  _ this? _ ”

“Looks like some herbology has gotten out of hand...” Master Mummy responded, peering up at the mess.

“N-No...!” Ninjara yelped, rushing up to the two. “ _ I-It’s a spell that got out of hand! _ ”

“Out of hand?  _ Yeah right. _ ” Coyle scoffed. “This is clearly a ridiculous student  _ prank.  _ We had something similar a few years back when a student filled the classrooms with magically-conjured  _ seafoam.” _

Professor Mummy flicked through a small book quickly. “...I believe this is what we’re dealing with:  _ ‘Holly Havoc’. _ Spreads like wildfire.”

“ _ N-No, that’s not it! _ ” Ninjara pleaded. “I-It was called  _ ‘Spell of Mistletoe Hanging’ _ o-or something?!”

_ “Pah!” _ Coyle scoffed again, waving him off. “That  _ Hanging Holly _ spell is small-time. It doesn’t  _ replicate _ like-” Another big burst of mistletoe spread out from the dormitory. “...Well, like  _ that. _ ”

Mummy passed her the book. “This is the reversing spell...”

“N-No, I’m  _ telling _ you that’s not the-” Ninjara began.

_ “Quiet.” _ Coyle growled, not interested in his pleas. She read the book’s inscription, then closed it shut and chucked it into the snow by her feet. She struck her wand out quickly and firmly, then cleared her throat.  _ “Wither away!” _

A harsh golden light shot from the tip of her wand and slammed into the wriggling holly, causing a flashy wave of light to spread out among the sharp leaves. The various students and teachers watched in awe, unsure of the spell’s success...

...The mistletoe stopped wriggling. A moment passed, but the expected duplication that had come at a regular pace did  _ not _ come this time. It all just lay still.

...”See?” Coyle smirked, glaring at Ninjara. “This is why  _ you _ are a student and  _ I _ am a teacher.  _ Learn some respect! _ ”

“B-But...” Ninjara stared, not sure if he could allow himself to feel reassured just yet. After all, the-

“...The mistletoe hasn’t  _ withered, _ ey?” Mummy chimed, taking the words right out of Ninjara’s mouth. “The spread has stopped, but shouldn’t it have all cleared up by now?”

Coyle rolled her eyes. “ _ Just give it a moment. _ It’s probably just delayed for some reason.”

...The mistletoe began to shake again. Slowly at first, as it had done initially, but then  _ faster _ than it had before.

“See? It’s clearly reacting to the spell now. It’ll clear up in no time!” Coyle declared proudly.

Ninjara took a few uneasy steps back, an uneasiness in his stomach. Then, without further warning...  _ All hell broke loose. _

A thick train of mistletoe shot out from the side of the building and collided with the building next to it, which soon began forming its own blanket of mistletoe, covering it both inside and out.

Another line of the stuff blasted out toward the next building, and then the one beside  _ that. _ It was like the mistletoe had gotten  _ smarter _ \- it was extending its reach in a frighteningly thought-out way, rather than just through mindless duplication.

“T-This isn’t good...” Mummy gulped, taking his wand out.

_ “What the hell?!” _ Coyle growled. _ “It should be toast by now!” _

Ninjara backed away further, not liking how this was going.

“Alright you overgrown weed...” Coyle glared. “How do you like  _ this?! _ ”

A bright purple blast shot out from her wand and incinerated a small part of the overgrown mass. As if in response to this, another arm of holly sprung out from the building’s side and...  _ Collided with Coyle and Mummy. _

They each yelped as their wands knocked out from their hands and the mistletoe engulfed their bodies, wrapping them up like Christmas presents.

_ Ninjara ran. _ This had all gotten far worse than he could have imagined. And without Professor Coyle and Professor Mummy? Well...  _ What chance did they have? _

He ran out into the nearby woods, hoping the trees would give him some cover from the swarm. The mistletoe mess didn’t seem to pay him any mind, however - it was too preoccupied with taking out the remaining students and teachers lobbing spells at it.

Ninjara’s mind filled with panicked ideas. What  _ could _ he do now?! Should he go to the authorities?? Or should he just try to get far away, and hope that the spread would reach some sort of  _ limit _ before it could eventually reach him? But  _ was _ there a limit? How did he know this wasn’t going to be a  _ global _ incident now?!

...His mind cut short as he suddenly collided with another student.

“H-Hey,  _ watch it! _ ” Growled the blue-haired boy in a harsh tone. “Can’t you watch where you’re- ...Huh?” He paused, noticing just  _ who _ had bumped into him.

_ “...S-Spring?!” _ Ninjara gulped, the cold snow on his hands as he now sat on the floor.

“What the hell are  _ you _ doing out here?” Spring Man scoffed, offering him his hand so he could pull him from the ground.

He took his hand and got back to his feet, but he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. “I-I...”

Spring Man picked up his witch hat from the floor and wiped some dirt off of it. “I haven’t been gone  _ that _ long. You weren’t seriously worried something had happened to me or something, eh?!”

Ninjara shook his head quickly, though he kept his eyes to the ground. “I... I did something  _ bad... _ ” He gulped. “I-I tried a spell a-and it didn’t  _ work... _ W-Well, it  _ did _ , b-but it got out of hand and-”

Spring Man put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. “Calm down, man. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” He quietly pinched the brim of Ninjara’s hat and better situated it on his head, as it had been knocked back by the collision.  _ “Just tell me what happened.” _

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two quietly crept out of the forest and assessed the damages.  _ The whole school was now covered in prickly leaves and small red berries. _ It was like discovering a long abandoned building that had been overgrown with forna over the years. But it was  _ more _ than that -  _ not an inch of the building itself was visible under the coverage. _

They looked around, awe-struck and bewildered.  _ There was nobody around. _ All the students and teachers that had stood out here a moment ago... They were all  _ gone. _ Either fled while they could or... Well,  _ he had seen what had happened to Coyle and Mummy. _

“This is all my fault...” Ninjara mumbled, glumly. “I-I don’t  _ deserve _ to be a student here...”

_ “Would you cut that out?” _ Spring Man scoffed. “You’re here to  _ learn, _ dummy. Everyone makes mistakes. You just gotta learn from them.” He gave a hearty pat to Ninjara’s back. “You’ve seen how many times I’ve almost burnt the place down, right?”

Ninjara sniffed, a small smile on his face. It was nice to have some reassurance.

“Speaking of burning things...” Spring Man grinned, taking his wand out.  _ “How about we clean this mess up, eh?” _

“...W-What?” Ninjara blinked, his eyes still rather red. “B-But the book is back in our dorm... W-We don’t know the reversal spell!”

_ “Pfft.” _ Spring Man scoffed. “Who needs  _ that? _ This is just a big  _ plant, _ Natsumi. And plants...  _ Burn. _ ”

Ninjara quickly grabbed Spring Man’s outstretched wrist, stopping him before any spells could be fired. “W-Woah,  _ wait! _ T-There are students in there...!!”

_ “Relax. _ ” Spring Man shrugged. “Fire is my speciality! You think I don’t know how to direct the stuff so it  _ doesn’t _ hurt the people or the school?  _ Sit back and watch!” _

Ninjara smiled and gave an approving nod, then did as instructed and took a step back.

Spring Man struck his wand out and grinned.  _ “GUIDED INFERNO!” _

A bright purple flame shot out and collided with the mistletoe adorning the building’s side. Purple flickers of fire began to spread at a rapid pace, burning away the-

_...The mistletoe grew over the fire, extinguishing it. _

“...Woah.” Spring Man blinked. “This is some  _ tough  _ stuff.”

Ninjara nodded sadly. “I-It got, uh...  _ Smarter _ after Coyle tried getting rid of it.”

“Go figure...” He pouted back. Then an idea sprung in his head, and he quickly grabbed Ninjara’s hand.  _ “Let’s cast it together! _ ”

“W-Wha?!” He blushed.

“Magic is stronger when two people cast it together!”

“W-Well yeah, but...” He looked away, embarrassed. “I-I’m not  _ good _ at that sort of-”

_ “Nonsense!” _ Spring Man grinned. “You’re a great witch! You just need a little guidance sometimes. And we make a good team, right?”

He could feel his heart beating harder again. He quietly took his wand out and took a deep breath. “...A-Alright,  _ l-let’s save the school!” _

Spring Man took his hand in his.  _ “Just follow my lead.” _

They each pointed their wands at the beastly mistletoe disaster before them. They tightened their grips on one another, and on their wands. And then, together, they each shouted out the incantation.

**_“GUIDED INFERNO!”_ **

A massive blast of purple flames splattered out like a flamethrower from their wands, rushing forward and climbing up the mistletoe around the school. The mistletoe moved again to cover the flames, but it burnt away too quickly to save itself.

They continued their assault - purple clouds of fire bursting forth and spreading further, blasting into the buildings and clearing the inside just as the outside began to return to normal.

From the corner of his eye, Ninjara could see a student get back up to his feet - unharmed by the flames that had passed over the blanket of mistletoe that had been trapping him.

More students began to emerge, watching in awe at the magnificent magical display the two were putting on to save the school. And as the flames spread further and freed more of the academy, more students came to watch and cheer.

And once not a single shred of holly remained, they all began to applaud their heroes. Students and teachers alike.


	5. Epilogue

Ninjara gave Casper a loving pat, ruffling his ghostly fur. “I’m glad I could be spending Christmas with  _ you,  _ Casper!” He smiled warmly. “You’ll never know how much you mean to me~”

“I’m not doing anything special today, really.” Spring Man chimed from beside the kitchen stove. “Just the usual breakfast. Hope you’re cool with that.”

“That’s fine by me!” Ninjara smiled back at him, getting up from the sofa to better speak to him at the kitchen counter. “...You mean a lot to me too, y’know...” He blushed. “Y-You’re a great roommate...”

_ “Pfft.” _ Spring Man shrugged. “I know I’m great! You don’t gotta tell me.” He flipped some bacon in his pan. “Y’know, it’s been a  _ real _ great boost to my ego these past few days to be the only student in the academy  _ without _ holly scratches all over their face!”

_ “One of _ the only students!  _ I  _ got away from it too, remember?” Ninjara laughed, a bright smile on his face. “...I-I still can’t thank you enough for that...  _ And _ for not telling them all I started it...”

Spring Man shrugged. “Never crossed my mind to!  _ Ribbon,  _ on the other hand...”

Ninjara laughed again. “...She’s still mad at me, huh?”

“More mad at Min Min!” He laughed back. “At least  _ you _ helped stop it all, in the end.”

“I’m glad I could right that wrong.” He nodded slowly. “...I won’t be making a mistake like that again. I promise!” He smiled warmly. “From now on I’m going to  _ you _ whenever I need help learning something!”

“Oh yeah?” Spring Man smirked. He turned from the pan and took a small book out from under the kitchen counter. “Then why is  _ this _ still here, eh?”

Ninjara took the book in his hands....  _ ‘Intermediate Incantations’.  _ Huh?! But he had  _ definitely _ returned it to the-

Spring Man burst out in laughter at the young man’s puzzled reaction. “...I took it out again. I figured we could learn a few sometime!”

“W-Well...” He looked down at the book. “...That’d be  _ nice, _ but I think Professor Coyle is  _ really _ cracking down on students using magic in their dormitories now. Any rule breakers get sent  _ straight _ to Principal Brass, she said!”

_ “Pfft. _ ” He shrugged. “I’m not afraid of her.” He withdrew his wand and pointed it to the archway above the two of them.

A small green and red light burst out from the wand’s tip and produced some holly at the point he had aimed for. Ninjara took a step back, feeling a small sense of  _ PTSD _ given what had happened before, but this mistletoe seemed harmless. It didn’t budge an inch in the moments that passed, nor did it duplicate itself in any way.

“...See?” Spring Man smirked, proud of himself. “ _ That’s _ how you do it.”

Ninjara sighed, agreeing he had been shown who’s boss. “What would I ever do without you?” He laughed softly.

“Right?” Spring Man grinned.

...The two remained silent for a moment, as their eyes drifted up to the mistletoe that now hung above them. Ninjara could feel his heart pounding again, and a warm blush appeared on Spring Man’s face.

“...M...Rry Chr... As...” Spring Man mumbled.

“...Huh?” Ninjara cocked his head in confusion.

_ “I said  _ **_Merry Christmas!_ ** _ ” _ Spring Man grunted, before quickly pushing forward and pressing his lips against Ninjara’s.

Ninjara’s eyes opened in shock, but like instinct he kissed back, his heart thumping against his chest.

...The kiss broke a moment later, and Spring Man hurriedly turned back to his cooking. “... _ Anyway... _ ”

Ninjara blushed, a smile emerging on his face that he couldn’t hide. “...M-Merry Christmas, Spring...”

...The quiet and special moment was spoiled about ten seconds later, as a loud thumping bashed the door open and Coyle butt her head into their room.  _ “Did I just hear someone casting magic?!” _ She glared.

Her eyes met the mistletoe hung above the archway and Ninjara and Spring Man stepped back quickly. She brought her wand out and instantly vapourized the mistletoe with a needlessly heavy torrent of purple flame.

_ “...Merry Christmas, idiots. _ ” She growled, slamming the door on her eyes out.


End file.
